


Personal Demon

by RoyalMileven



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Mike being a personal demon, The Party is only mentioned, jopper mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 14:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17706344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyalMileven/pseuds/RoyalMileven
Summary: El always felt like someone stayed around her. Her bad thoughts, her good thoughts, they had always been supported by the weird feeling in her body. And now, it's time for her to meet the weird feeling.It's time to meet her personal demon. Mike.(And he's not so demonish.)





	Personal Demon

"Bye!" she yelled at her friends, then sat in her beloved red Chevrolet Corvette and drove away from the parking lot. Throwing her purse angrily into the back of her car, she clutched the wheel. She was probably over the town limit of speed, but her dad is a police Chief, she can deal with that later.

Meet El Hopper. Your typical teenager, if you want to call her like that. All she has are divorced parents, a younger annoying blondie sister, and her four more annoying best friends. She's kind of average. Sometimes she wishes to be popular, but that meant for her to leave her best friends. They are... nerds. Kind of. Not just kind of, Dustin, Lucas, and Will are the biggest nerds you'll ever meet. And then there's Max. A redhead tomboyish girl with a skateboard. Max is way cooler than her, for sure.

Do you need to know anything else? Oh. Nope? Okay then. She's boring sometimes.

One more thing. Her mom is getting married. Again. It was just weird for her, especially when her step-father is gonna be a tall man in a suit and gray hair. And no, he's not Santa Claus. She stopped believing in Santa Claus after she saw her dad sneaking under the Christmas tree with the gifts. She was nine back then. Also, when she told the party, they all were super angry with their parents.

El stamped on the gas more, speeding as she was outside the town. Her mother lived ten miles from Hawkins and thank god - El could live with her dad. If she would have lived with her mother and her soon-to-be-stepfather, she would have lost her freaking mind. Yeah, it doesn't mean her father is perfect. They both are kind of messy, don't stick to their diets, argue a lot, and have weird friends. Also, her father has an affair with her best friends' mother, which is funny. They think they don't know it.

The affair was an amusing thing. Once, the Party had a sleepover. They said they would go to Castle Byers, just like when they were little kids, but it was too cold and they all had a fancy for pizza. So they packed their things again, went to the Byers', ordered four boxes of pizza and locked themselves in Will's room. Then they watched Star Wars. Suddenly, the door shut loudly and they could only hear Joyce's and Jim's moaning, which was awkward. And so embarrassing. Thank god they hadn't found out they were there... yet.

And her mom's love story? Eh. Even El's love story is much funnier and better than her mom's, and she doesn't even have a boyfriend. Basically, Terry just found some random man, who turned out to be a super-rich Indiana scientist, he asked her to marry her after a year of their dating and Terry said yes. Welp... she kind of pitied Sara, who had to live with her mom. When their parents got divorced, El was almost fifteen and Sara only twelve, so the Court asked El with who she wants to be. Of course, El was definitely daddy's girl, so she chose Hopper. But Sara was 'too young' for the decision, so their mom got her custody.

Sara was a  _brat_. However, Sara could tell the same thing about El. It's their dad's fault. Sara is fourteen now and she's gonna be in a freshman next year. Thank god they won't go to the same school because her sister is definitely gonna become the queen of high school soon. Everybody loves  _blondes_. By the way, El had brown curly hair, making her the invisible one. Nobody without big courage would ever talk to her. Again, thank you,  _Chief._

Her thoughts were slowly eating her, when suddenly - "You look pretty pissed!" she hit the break fastly and the car skidded to a halt. El quickly pulled over to the side, then looked at the guy sitting in the gunshot. "And you look kind of terrified now, either," he chuckled, brushing his dark curls off his face.

"H-how did you get in here?!"

His bored expression on his face turned to an offended one.

"I was sitting in the back the  _whole time_! Also, The Clash is _good_. Should I stay or should I go?" he sang up with a smile. Her eyes widened. He chuckled. "Really, you didn't notice me in the back? That's  _bad_. Also, what the _hell_  are you carrying in your purse, it's heavy as fuck!"

"What are you doing in my car?!" she yelled, reaching for her pepper spray under the seat, not waiting and spraying it in his eyes. The guy next to her started screaming in panic, waving his lanky hands all around him. His eyes were all red and teary, he started coughing and she soon started coughing too, causing them both to escape the closed space of her Corvette.

The cold air made it worse and better at the same time, but she looked like she'll throw up. Welp, it wasn't that bad as the random guy in her car, but... "Are you crazy?!" he shouted at her. He was kneeled down on the road, next to her car, glaring.

"Says the one who broke into my car!"

El didn't expect he would look offended. Tears were coming down his face (no, she didn't make him cry because she was mean, but because she put a pepper spray into his eyes if you're wondering). "I didn't  _break_  into your car!" he said, now wiping his tears away, slowly recovering from the pepper spray.

"No, you really didn't!" she glared at him ironically.

He sighed. "Do you have water?" he asked her, showing her his teary, red eyes. El sighed and with a roll of her brown eyes, she grabbed the plastic bottle from her car and tossed it to him. That guy opened it and poured it on his face. It obviously kind of made him feel better, so he threw away the bottle and shrugged. "Didn't expect our first meeting like this."

"Our what?" her mouth slightly opened.

He rolled his eyes too. "Oh, devil. But it's time to introduce myself," he groaned and walked around the car, then stopped a few steps in front of her. He also adjusted his windbreaker a little. "Hi, I'm Mike. And I'm your personal demon. I would say nice to meet you, but the pepper spray was just mean."

El looked at him like on a psychopath. "Personal demon?" she laughed. "Are you like, stalking me or anything? You know my dad's the Chief of the police, right?"

"Stalking you? I'm not  _stalking_  you. I'm  _keeping my eyes on you_. I also have been there when you smoked that cigarette in the sixth period. Are you crazy? Those can _kill_  you. And I know everything about you, you have a whole file in hell. Your dad's kinda... rude, but I like that guy. So, El Hopper, where are you heading right now?"

(He laughed in his mind. He knew exactly where she was going.)

"Okay," she took a deep breath and shook her head. "I don't know who you are, what are you playing or anything, but I'm leaving. And tell Dustin and Lucas it's not funny." El made a face at Mike. He furrowed his eyebrows. But it was too late, she was already sitting in the car and closing the doors. Sooner he could blink, she speeded of again. He sighed. "And I thought that Lucifer is annoying."

Meanwhile, she couldn't sort any of what happened a few seconds ago. So there was a guy sitting in her car - "You can't hide from me." Mike shrugged as he appeared on the gunshot again. This time, completely okay. She jumped in a surprise.

"Yeah, if you haven't noticed, I'm a demon, so... I'm magical, kind of." He cringed at his own words.

"Why are you here?" El asked him, her eyes jumping between him and the road.

He plopped himself onto the seat, his hand reached for the red heart hanging on the rear-view mirror. "Yeah, they sent me here. I said it before, I'm your personal demon, sweetie pie. That sucks, right? And _I_ am stuck with you for eternity, so get used to it. Also, you are cursed."

She frowned. "I'm...  _cursed_?"

"Yep," popping the 'p', he grinned. "Maybe that's why you don't have a boyfriend yet."

"That's none of your business!"

Mike chuckled, tilted his head back and leaned against the leather seat. "I'm basically your brain now, so it  _is_  kind of my business."

"You're a what?"

"Oh come on!" he groaned. "You don't know what does 'personal demon' mean? It means I'm like that kind of bad thoughts, you know? If you want to burn someone's car, I'll say 'do it!'. Also, I can spy for you. Or help you with tests, you  _suck_  in science."

"Now you're gonna judge me because I got a D from science today!"

He nodded. "That's exactly what I've planned."

" _Great_. So now you're gonna annoy me until I die?"

"If it makes you happy."

"It doesn't. Now go away."

But as soon as she pulled into the driveway of the three-floored white modern villa, she couldn't help but sigh. That's when he appeared again. "I know what you're thinking. That frickin' house would burn  _good_ ," he whispered with a wicked smile.

El looked at him. "I'm not thinking that!"

_Of course you're not, El._

He snorted at his own thoughts. She opened the door of her car, angrily shutting it behind her. He quickly appeared next to her. "You know, that guy is a  _real_  weirdo. You should keep an eye on him, he's no good."

"And you are?"

"I'm not. I'm just warning you, sweetie pie." he sang up. El stopped in front of the door of the big white modern villa built in Europian functionalist design, knocking on it. Her mom soon opened it, embracing her in a hug. "Jane!" Terry grinned. Mike had to make a grimace at the sight. Terry changed from the little town kind woman wearing flannels into a big business woman wearing suits in a matter of a few months.

"Mom, hey." El sighed, pulling off as soon as she could see her soon-to-be stepfather making his way downstairs. What surprised her - it was like they didn't see  _him_. Mike was literally standing next to her with an annoyed face, shaking his head in disapproving. Was he... _invisible?_  "I gotta say, your mother is pretty hot but  _totally_ dumb," he spoke, making his way into the house. She blinked a few times.

_What the hell is he thinking about- ew._

They didn't notice his presence at all.

Brenner smiled at Jane, making both Jane and Mike cringe a little. "Jane."

"Martin," she nodded at him, then quickly looked at her mom. "Is Sara home?"

"Yes, she's upstairs."

"Great. Bye."

Mike followed her. "I've just read his mind. He wants you and Sara to call him Papa," he spoke up. El made a gagging sound. "He's a creep. A weirdo. A kinky shit. A psycho bitch. A pervert. No thanks."

She entered Sara's room without knocking. "Hey, brat! How's it hangin'?" she asked her, plopping onto Sara's bed next to her sister. The blonde girl seemed to be half-asleep with headphones on, Michael Jackson's Thriller blasting.

Sara yawned. "Hey, El."

"Is there any other shit you like than sleeping?"

"Is there any other shit you like except being annoying?"

El chuckled, hugging her from the side. She laid next to her on the bed. Sara moved her head a little, so they could share the pillow. Precious moments like this happened only when shit happened. They had no need to talk (not like they had much to talk about, too). Mike sat on the ground, next to the bed where El laid, frowning over some book of Sara's.

She noticed his wrinkled face. His eyes were squinting over the words. El suppressed a smile, nudging him gently with her pinky. He looked up. "Huh?"

Sara, thanks to her closed eyes and headphones, couldn't hear them. Her older sister turned on her right side, padding her face with her hand. "What are you reading?"

He put it away, shut his eyes closed. "Nothing."

El raised her eyebrows, reaching for the book. Mike sighed when she jerked it out of his hands. It was The Little Prince. Oh, she  _loved_  that book when she was a kid. Dad had always read it to her before sleep. The girl took a close look at him, snuggling closer to really see him. Then, she grinned.

"You are crying!"

Mike whipped off his tears, shaking his head. "Am not!"

"Are yes!" she burst out laughing. Her personal demon rolled his eyes and glared at her. He wasn't really angry. Well, he couldn't be angry with  _her_. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and he could see into her soul. Like,  _literally_. Being a demon sucked sometimes. Her fingers touched the curls on the back of his head, playing with them gently.

She gasped. "How can be your hair so  _soft_?" she whisper-yelled.

Mike shrugged. "Schwarzkopf."

 

* * *

 

"Here you go, sweetheart."

Terry ruffled El's hair, making her blood boil. Only and only her dad, her biological totally 100% dad, could do that. Not Terry, not Martin,  _nobody_. Sadly, she couldn't even glare at Terry. "Thanks, Mom," she said, looking at the food.

She had no idea since her mom had been a vegetarian.

"Martin," Mike wasn't there physically, but she could hear his whisper in her ear. She got goosebumps. However, he reminded her the main reason why they were here, sitting in a million dollar villa and eating shitty food.  _Martin_. "Always Martin, isn't it?"

El pursed her lips.

Her stepfather glanced at her, leaning his arms against his table. "Jane."

"Huh?"

_Please do not ask about my not existant boyfriend..._

"How's school?"

"Um... g-good."

"And science?"

"Great."

Mike's laugh echoed through her head. _"Liar."_

"Really?"

"Yes. For example, the um, um..."  _Thermochemistry, sweetie._  "...thermochemistry is really fun."

"I thought you were more into stoichiometry, Jane."

There was an awkward silence around the table, especially when Jane was quiet. Mike appeared next to her, leaning against her shoulder.  _What the hell is sociometry?!_ She yelled at him, hoping he'll hear her. He chuckled. "It's about atoms and molecules and that little stuff. But, you know, just tell him what you feel."

Martin raised his eyebrows.

"Not really. I'm not actually into chemistry-"

"That's your father's fault," her step-father sighed, putting a piece of fried cauliflower into his wrinkled mouth. El scoffed. "Excuse me?"

He stopped eating. "Your father. He supports your bad behavior. You ride around Hawkins with your friends like misfits. You could have accomplished much better things than being the daughter of a police chief in some no-town."

El shook her head. "Alright, let's get this straight," she pointed a finger at him, ignoring her mother's words to stop the fight. She had no idea Mike was sitting on the ceiling, amused by the situation.  _Maybe_  he added a  _bit_  of courage into her. 

"You can insult me, you can tell me I'm a piece of shit or whatever, but don't you dare say something against my dad."

"You Hoppers cannot handle the truth!" Brenner stood up. She stood up to, this time still holding her knife (not like she could kill somebody with that, it was blunt), staring into his eyes. "Well, I don't fucking care! You take my father into your filthy mouth again and I'll end you, you psycho!"

Terry grabbed her by her hand, but she jerked off. "Jane-"

"If you say lay a finger on Mom or Sara, you're ending in the trash, bitch!" she said, a wave of sudden anger rushing through her body. Jane glanced at her younger sister. "Sara, pack your things. We're going home."

"No, you can't do that!" Terry shouted at her older daughter. "What's happening to you?! You are threatening to my fiancée! To  _your_  father!"

"Please, Mom. He's not my fucking anything."

She grabbed her jacket, heading to the hall. "I'll wait for Sara in the car."

Arriving home, she was angry. She closed the door behind them, revealing their father sitting on the couch, drinking beer and watching the TV. "Well, hello. Didn't expect you tonight, Sara, but I'm sure I can heat up one more meal-" Jim said, confused he saw both his daughters.

"You don't need to," El said quickly. "I'm not hungry anyway."

Jim stood up, sipping his beer. "What happened?" he asked, adjusting his checked shirt. Sara, still standing behind El, made a grimace, put her hand on her neck, acting like somebody was choking her. Their father blinked.

"Martin is a bitch, that's what happened," she shrugged, quickly going into her room, grabbing her school bag, then going back to her family. "I'm done today. Sara can take my room, don't wait for me. I'm going to Max's."

 

* * *

 

She wasn't going to Max's.

_Obviously._

Instead, she parked her car near the quarry, climbed onto the top, snuggled into a blanket and watched the stars. El was aware she wasn't alone. Mike was there, watching over here. She's always had a weird feeling like somebody's been with her, only this day she really knew she wasn't just paranoid. And suddenly, it turned out to be nice. Having a little bit of company.

After hours of being silent, it was she who spoke up as first.

"Aren't you cold?" El asked him, looking at him curiously. Mike, cold to the bone, shook his head. "N-not really."

"Okay."

He sighed, giving her a roll of eyes. "I was kidding. My butt's freezing off." Then, he got up and snuggled next to her, stealing a bit of her body warm and a part of the blanket. And somehow, she didn't push him away. He wasn't like the boys from the fucking school who demanded every part of girl's body, thinking they owned the girls.  _Idiots._

She looked at him. "Are you really from hell-"

"Because you think I'm an angel?"

El's frown deepened as he smirked. "What? No. You just didn't let me finish my question."

"Oh. Again?"

"Are you really from hell?"

Mike shrugged. "Eh, yeah."

"Really? How does it look in there?" El asked him curiously, burying her hands in the depth of her pockets.

"Well," he winked, coughing. "If you sin, you'll know."

"That's bullshit."

"And every one of your bullshit is written on a paper down there. Then, you die, you end up in hell."

"How did you die?"

His smile disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he shrugged again. He never really thought about his death. He knew, he just  _knew_  he wasn't alive. Mike had no idea what he had done wrong in his before-life, though. "Cancer," he answered simply, no emotions getting out of his mask. "I don't remember anything exact. I have this strange sharps of memory in my mind, reminding me pieces of my before life. All I know is that I died the same as my grandma. That's all."

El found his hand and squeezed it gently. Just this little act of hers made him feel a lot better. "Cancer is a bitch. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I'm dead anyways."

"Why did you end up in hell?"

"I don't know," Mike gulped. His eyes found their intertwined hands. It was interesting how her little hand fell into his, like they were connected parts of a puzzle which had been solved. "I had cancer. I don't know why I ended up in there. Maybe I sprayed a dick on someone's car. Oh hell, I wish I have done that."

She chuckled. "We can do that. Together."

"Yeah, that would be nice," he agreed, snuggling closer in a search for warm.

Unaware to her mind, her arm crept around his lower back as it rested on his warm skin. Mike smiled, playing with her mind a little or either way she wouldn't really fall asleep tonight. She needed to rest, it had been a long day. He knew she had troubles with her sleep. 

"But you know what?" he whispered, twisting one of her curls around his finger. "We have time for drawing dicks."

El's eyelids felt heavy. So  _heavy_. Closing her eyes, she nodded in agreement. "Yes, we have. The whole eternity."

Mike lifted up the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah. The whole eternity."

Sounds good.


End file.
